The FReeper Foxhole Studies The Lewis Gun - April 2nd, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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The Lewis Gun




Called the "Belgian Rattlesnake" by its enemies, this early machine gun earned a formidable reputation in the trenches of World War I.



Although several automatic rifles or light machine guns had been fielded in the period leading up to the outbreak of war in 1914, only one was to prove itself entirely satisfactory in the shell-blasted mud of World. War I. This was the gun -- an American invention at first rudely spurned by its home country, but enthusiastically embraced by the Belgians and the British. Turned out by the tens of thousands before the war's end, it was far superior to its enemy counterpart, the German "light" Maxim machine gun.



The McLean Gun

In 1910, an American named Samuel McLean sold his mechanical patent rights to the Automatic Arms Company of Buffalo, NY. Among his many inventions was a machine gun so overburdened with gadgets that it was unsuitable for any purpose other than mechanical curiosity.



Automatic Arms persuaded U.S. Army Colonel Isaac Newton Lewis, a gifted engineer, to re-work the McLean system. Colonel Lewis wisely retained McLean's basic operating system, consisting of a gas piston that acted on a camming slot in the bolt to rotate it into locking and unlocking. Next, he added a clock-type return, spring, pan magazine and finned air-cooling jacket.



Colonel Lewis was not only a good engineer, but also no slouch as a salesman, showman and visionary. His next step was to arrange an event that would excite imaginations all around the world.

On June 7th, 1912, with a prototype Lewis gun resting on the foot bar of his Wright Type B "aeroplane," Captain Charles DeForest Chandler, commander of the U.S. Army airfield at College Park. Md., became the first man in history to fire a machine gun in flight. A posed photograph taken the next day was picked up and printed by newspapers and magazines worldwide as yet another amazing milestone in the new age of invention.



Unfortunately for the American soldier, the Army curtly dismissed the whole episode, asserting that aircraft were only suitable for scouting and observation and would never do as platforms for aerial gunnery! It would be just 26 months before that blind arrogance would be violently swept aside.



"Ignorant Hacks"

The Army Ordnance Board tests of the Lewis Gun that immediately followed Captain Chandler's history-making flight were no more positive. Perhaps due to the severity of the tests or even to actual faults in the prototype guns, the Lewis gun was neither accepted nor rejected.



According to David Truby in his excellent book The Lewis Gun, the colonel denounced his fellow officers of the Ordnance establishment as "ignorant hacks." Then, rather than continue an exercise in futility against hidebound prejudice, Colonel Lewis turned in his retirement papers and steamed for Belgium in January, 1913.

In Europe Lewis participated in a series of demonstrations held for the Belgian army and various other military representatives. This soon resulted in Belgium's decision to adopt the gun in caliber .303 British, to be manufactured at Liege by a newly formed company to be known as Armes Automatiques Lewis. Soon afterward, the respected English firm of Birmingham Small Arms Co. was granted a license arid the Lewis was in full production at both factories by June 1914.

Model 1914

The Model 1914 Lewis gun weighed less than 28 lbs. with a compact pan load of 47 cartridges. An adjustable clock-type recoil spring could regulate the rate of fire from 500 to 600 rounds per minute. Its rifle-like configuration, adjustable sights and bipod allowed the average soldier to effectively engage enemy targets out to 600 meters.



With no flimsy ammo strip, awkward side-mounted feedbox or trailing ammo belt, the Lewis could be grabbed up and fired from the hip during trench-to-trench assaults, delivering suppressive fire on the defenders. The Lewis was the right weapon at the right time and by 1916 more than 50,000 had been turned out by Belgium, Britain and the American Savage Arms Co.

Trial By Fire

Performance of the new Lewis gun quickly overshadowed that of the Benet-Mercie machine rifle, the only other light automatic in widespread Allied use. Being the first truly successful one of its kind in a period of rapid invention naturally meant that the Lewis would be linked with a number of innovations in the science of warfare.



The British Royal Navy was the first to provide its ships with anti-aircraft protection: deck-mounted Lewis guns against German bombers and torpedo boats. The British Army fitted them to armored cars, tanks and motorcycles and a special monopod adapter was issued to allow quick mounting on posts or stumps for anti-aircraft defense. Indeed, wherever the tactical situation called for a fast handling, fast firing gun, the Lewis was right up front.

The Lewis was also revered in the air. Since cooling was no problem in the slipstream of an airplane or airship, the gun could be stripped of its distinctive barrel jacket and fins. The buttstock was replaced with a spade type handgrip and magazine capacity was more than doubled. With no flapping belt, wind-catching feed spool, or troublesome feed strip to get in the way, the resulting 19 lb. gun was an obvious winner.



At the end of August 1914, a German observation plane became the first aircraft in history to be shot down. This was accomplished by a Lewis gun mounted on a British scout plane over Le Quesnoy, France. Later, Lewis guns loaded with incendiary bullets and mounted on the famous Sopwith Camel biplanes, helped bring down hydrogen-filled German Zeppelin dirigibles that had been terrorizing English cities.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Archy.

I forgot about "The Professionals". Excellent flick IMHO. I got a kick out of the StormTrooper carryinh one in Star Wars.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Aeronaut. I always thought they didn't really come into use until the mono-wing plane. I learned something new.

[Shooter 2.5]

I was pleasantly surprised the movie, "The Mummy" used the correct 80 round magazine for the aerial model. The ground troops used the standard 40 round magazine.

When I first saw the long bar coming from the Lewis gun while it was mounted on the top frame of the biplane, I thought it was so the pilot could aim the machine gun. That's wrong. The bar is a track so the Lewis can be rotated downward in order to be reloaded. It was the only machine gun that could be reloaded in midair.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone in The FOXHOLE!

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 02:
0742 Charlemagne 1st Holy Roman emperor (800-14)
1602 Maria de Jesus de Agreda [Maria Coronel] Spanish franciscan
1618 Francesco M Grimaldi mathematician/physicist (light defraction)
1713 Onno Zwier van Haren Frisian poet (Fatherland)
1725 Casanova writer
1805 Hans Christian Andersen Denmark, author of 150 fairy tales
1806 Giacomo Antonelli Italian cardinal/Assistant Secretary of State for Pius IX
1814 Henry Lewis "Old Rock" Benning Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1826 Philip Dale Roddey Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1897
1827 William Holdman Hunt English painter (Light of the World)
1833 Thomas Howard Ruger Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1834 Frédéric-Auguste Bertholdi France, sculptor (Statue of Liberty)
1840 Émile Zola France, novelist (Nana, J'Accuse)
1862 Nicholas Murray Butler US, Columbia University president/pacifist (Nobel 1931)
1875 Walter Chrysler founded Chrysler car company
1891 Max Ernst Germany, painter/sculptor (founded surrealism)
1894 Walter Mittelholzer Swiss aviation pioneer (Swiss Air)
1905 Serge Lifar Kiev, dancer, choreographer (Paris Opéra Ballet)
1908 Buddy Ebsen Belleville IL, actor (Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones)
1911 Charles "Honi" Coles tap dancer (Tap)
1914 Sir Alec Guinness [de Cuffe] London England, thespian (Colonel Nicholson-Bridge on River Kwai, Obi-Wan Kenobi-Star Wars, George Smiley-Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
1920 Jack Webb Santa Monica CA, actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet)
1925 George MacDonald Fraser poet/author (Flashman at the Charge)
1927 Billy Pierce pitcher (Chicago White Sox) seven time all star
1928 Joseph "Cardinal" Bernardin of Chicago
1930 W Hambleden Smith English newspaper magnate
1931 Imre Olsvai composer
1935 Sharon Acker Toronto Ontario Canada, actress (Della Street-Perry Mason 1973)
1936 Jack Brabham Australia, race car driver (world champion 1966)
1939 Marvin P Gaye Jr Washington DC, singer (Sexual Healing)
1941 Leon Russell Lawton KS, pianist/singer (Carny, Queen of the Rollerderby, Masquerade)
1943 Larry Coryell Galveston TX, jazz guitarist (11th House)
1945 Don Sutton baseball pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1945 Linda Hunt Morristown NJ, actress (Bostonians, Eleni, Silverado)
1946 Kurt Winter rocker (The Guess Who)
1947 Emmylou Harris Birmingham AL, country singer (Together Again)
1948 Joan [Carol] D[ennison] Vinge US, sci-fi author (2 Hugos, Dune)
1954 Ron Palillo Cheshire CT, actor (Arnold Horshack-Welcome Back Kotter)
1962 Billy Dean Quincy FL, country singer (Billy the Kid)
1965 Rodney King Sacramento CA, black motorist/crook beaten by Los Angeles cops
1971 Jenny Craig Miss Georgia-USA (1996)

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Deaths which occurred on April 02:
1118 Boudouin I of Bologne/Edessa, 1st crusader/king of Jerusalem, dies
1416 Ferdinand I the Justified, king of Aragon/Sicily, dies at 52
1502 Arthur English crown prince/husband of Catharina of Aragón, dies
1831 Charles Felix blind King of Sardina (1821-31), dies at 74
1865 Richard Cobden founder Anti-Corn-Law League, dies at 60
1865 Ambrose Powell Hill Confederate General, killed in action at 39
1872 Samuel F B Morse developer of electric telegraph, dies at 80
1910 Boyd Alexander English explorer (Niger to the Nile), murdered at 37
1910 Friedrich von Bodelschwingh German theologist, dies at 79
1928 Theodore Richards US chemist (atomic weight, Nobel 1914), dies
1937 Nathan Birnbaum Austria philosopher (Zionism), dies at about 72
1951 Simon Barere pianist, dies while perfoming at Carnegie Hall
1952 Bernard F Lyot French astronomer (chronograph, Lyot-filter), dies at 55
1966 Cecil Scott Forester English author (Horatio Hornblower), dies at 66
1972 Gil Hodges manager (New York Mets), dies of heart attack at 57
1974 Georges Pompidou French President, dies in Paris at 62
1976 Ray Teal actor (Sheriff Roy Coffee-Bonanza), dies at 74
1979 Carroll D Rosenbloom Los Angeles Rams president, dies at 72
1987 Buddy Rich drummer/orchestra leader (Away We Go), dies at 69
1995 Julius Arthur Hemphill saxophonist, dies at 57
1997 Tomoyuki Tanaka producer (Godzilla), dies of a stroke at 86

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 EVANS JAMES J.---VALLEY FALLS KS.
[10/71 REMAINS RECOVERED, ID'D 4/22/77]
1966 DOUGHTY DANIEL J.---LADYSMITH WI.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1967 DRAMESI JOHN A.---GRENLOCK NJ.
[03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 1996]
1969 POWERS LOWELL S.---SCOTTSDALE AZ.
1972 ASTORGA JOSE M.---OAKLAND CA.
[03/05/73 RELEASED BY PRG INJURED, ALIVE IN 96]
1972 BOLTE WAYNE L.---CLAREMORE OK.
1972 FRINK JOHN W.---ALBUQUERQUE NM.
[CHOPPER EXPLODED W/SUBJ ABOARD, REMAINS RETURNED 04/94]
1972 GATWOOD ROBIN F. JR.---HICKORY NC.
1972 GIANNANGELI ANTHONY R.---LANSFORD PA.
1972 KULLAND BYRON K.---NEW TOWN ND.
[CHOPPER EXPLODED W/ SUBJ ABOARD, REMAINS ID'D 4/02/94]
1972 LEVIS CHARLES A.---FORT WORTH TX.
1972 PASCHALL RONALD P.---ALDERWOOD MANOR WA.
[CHOPPER EXPLODED W/ SUBJ ABOARD, REMAINS ID'D 4/02/94]
1972 SEREX HENRY M.---NEW ORLEANS LA.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0999 Gerbert of Aurillac elected as 1st French Pope
1416 Alfonso V succeeds his father as king of Aragón
1513 Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain
1550 Jews are expelled from Genoa Italy
1595 Cornelis de Houtman's ships depart to Asia through Cape of Good Hope
1792 Congress establishes Philadelphia mint; US authorizes $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & $2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins & silver dollar, ½ dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime
1800 1st performance of Ludwig von Beethoven's 1st Symphony in C
1819 1st successful agricultural journal ("The American Farmer") begins
1827 Joseph Dixon begins manufacturing lead pencils
1860 1st Italian Parliament met at Turin
1863 Bread revolt in Richmond VA
1864 Skirmish at Crump's Hill (Piney Woods), Louisiana
1864 Skirmish at Spoonville/Antoine AR
1865 CSA President Jefferson Davis flees Confederate capital of Richmond VA
1865 General A P Hill is killed by a Federal Picket
1865 Lee's line is broken at Petersberg
1865 Battle of Fort Blakely AL & Selma AL
1865 Battle of Petersburg VA (Fort Gregg, Sutherland's Station)
1866 President Andrew Johnson ends war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia
1870 Victoria Woodhull is 1st woman to be nominated for US President
1872 George B Brayton patents gasoline powered engine
1877 1st Easter egg roll held on White House lawn
1884 London prison for debtors closed
1902 1st motion picture theater opens (Los Angeles CA)
1908 Mills Committee declares baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday
1912 Titanic undergoes sea trials under its own power
1912 Sun Yet Sen forms Guomindang-Party in China
1916 German troops overtake Bois de Caillette
1917 President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war against Germany
1917 Jeannette Rankin becomes 1st woman member of US House of Representatives
1921 Professor Albert Einstein lectures in NYC on his new theory of relativity
1926 Riots between Moslems & Hindus in Calcutta
1931 Teenage girl strikes out Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in Chattanooga TN
1932 Charles Lindbergh turns over $50,000 as ransom for kidnapped son
1935 Mary Hirsch, becomes 1st woman licensed as a horse trainer
1935 Sir Watson-Watt patents RADAR
1941 USS Hornet with Jimmy Doolittles B-25 departs from San Francisco
1944 Dmitri Shostakovitch's 8th Symphony, premieres in New York
1944 Soviet Army marches into pro-German Romania
1945 1st US units reach east coast of Okinawa
1950 WTAR (now WTKR) TV channel 3 in Norfolk VA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1954 Plans to build Disneyland 1st announced
1955 Pancho Gonzales retains tennis title by winning a tournament playing under table tennis rules
1956 Soap operas "As the World Turns" & "Edge of Night" premiere on TV
1956 Peter Ustinov's "Romanoff & Juliet" premieres in Manchester England
1958 National Advisory Council on Aeronautics renamed NASA
1958 Wind speed reaches 450 kph in tornado in Wichita Falls TX (record)
1958 Antillean Brewery (Amstel beer) opens
1963 USSR launches Luna 4; missed Moon by 8,500 km
1964 Military coup in Brazil by General Castello Branco, President Goulart ousted
1968 Senator Eugene McCarthy wins Democratic primaries in Wisconsin
1969 Milwaukee Bucks sign (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor)
1970 2 men begin ascent of south face of Annapurna I, the highest final stage in a wall climb in the world
1970 Qatar gains independence from Britain
1971 Sci-fi soap opera "Dark Shadows" concludes an almost 5 year run
1972 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits Cairo Egypt
1973 CBS radio begins on hour news 24 hours a day
1973 ITT pleads guilty to asking CIA to affect Chilean presidential election
1974 Arganat Committee publishes report concerning Yom Kippur War
1977 Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors", album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks
1978 TV show "Dallas" premieres on CBS (as a 5 week mini-series)
1979 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visits Cairo Egypt/meets President Sadat
1980 Wayne Gretzky becomes 1st teenager to score 50 goals in a season
1981 Heavy battle between Christian militia & Syrian army in East Lebanon
1982 Several thousand Argentine troops seize disputed Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
1986 4 US passengers killed by bomb at TWA counter Athens Airport Greece
1986 George Corley Wallace (Governor-Democrat-AL) announces retirement plans
1987 IBM introduces PS/2 & OS/2
1989 Wrestlemania V at Trump Plaza, Hulk Hogan beats "Macho Man" Savage
1992 John Gotti found guilty in death of Paul Castallanos
1995 New York Police Department & New York Transit Police merge into one organization
1997 The White House released documents showing how eager it had been to exploit the money-drawing powers of President Clinton and Vice President Gore during the 1996 campaign while coordinating with the Democratic Party's fund-raising machine.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Q2 FReepathon starts......SEND MONEY!
/subtle hint

Chad : Creation of Union of Central African States (1968)
Iran : Nawroz 13
Liberia : National Day of Prayer & Fast
Switzerland : Glarius Festival (1388) (Thursday)
Massachusetts : Student Government Day (Friday)
US : National Ferret Day
US : National Laugh Week (Day 2)
Minnesota Authors Month

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Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Francis of Paula, hermit/confessor (optional)
Anglican : Commemoration of James Lloyd Breck, priest
Christian : Good Friday

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Religious History
1524 At age 40, Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli (a former Catholic priest) publicly married the widow Anna (ne Reinhard) Meyer. Their marriage lasted until his death at the Battle of Kappel in 1531.
1877 Birth of American evangelist Mordecai Ham. It was under Ham's preaching in the late 1930s that Billy Graham was led into a living faith.
1894 Death of English philanthropist William D. Longstaff, 72. A friend of Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey, Longstaff left several writings, but is best remembered today for authoring the hymn, "Take Time to Be Holy."
1955 British apologist C. S. Lewis wrote in "Letters to an American Lady": 'Fear is horrid, but there's no reason to be ashamed of it. Our Lord was afraid (dreadfully so) in Gethsemane. I always cling to that as a very comforting fact.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"Fortune truly helps those who are of good judgment."

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New Words for 2004...
SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

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New State Slogans...
Minnesota: Please use alternate route

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Male Language Patterns...
"You really look terrific in that outfit," REALLY MEANS,
"Please don't try on another outfit. I'm starving."

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Female Language Patterns...
Do I look fat in this dress? REALLY MEANS,
We haven't had a fight in a while.

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
Vickers Valiant

Design
By the end of the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command was in the process of re-equipping with the Avro Lincoln four-engined heavy bomber, derivative of the famous Lancaster. The thinking within the Air Ministry at the time still focussed around a heavily armed and unpressurised bomber capable of striking deep into the heart of enemy territory, but the arrival of the Nuclear Age and the jet engine quickly changed all that.

The power of the atom bomb meant that a single weapon could easily do the work of a thousand-bomber raid. Similarly, the increases in range, payload and, above all, speed offered by the jet engine meant that a whole new fleet of bombers would be required to meant any perceived hostile threats. The decision was taken therefore, that Bomber Command would be equipped with a much smaller number of aircraft of higher performance and able to carry a number of different weapons including nuclear bombs. Radical specifications were drafted calling for a jet bomber capable of flying over 50,000ft (15,244m) at speeds approaching the speed of sound. Although the Canberra was the first jet bomber in RAF service (and the world), it was never envisaged as a strategic bomber - a role destined for the new designs.

In 1947, the Air Ministry issued two requirements for new jet bombers. The first, B.35/46 outlined a swept-wing, jet-engined, high altitude strategic bomber capable of carrying a nuclear or conventional payload. The second, B.14/46, was less challenging and asked for designs for a jet-bomber based on existing technology as an insurance policy should the first specification be too challenging. This emerged as the Short Sperrin.

Specification B.35/46 prompted several major manufacturers of the time to submit designs. Blackburn proposed their B66 delta-winged bomber in September 1946, Bristol followed a month later with the Model 172 and later Shorts offered the PD1 design. But in 1947, the two designs which were ultimately to be ordered into production for the RAF were unveiled: the Avro 698, which was to become the Vulcan, and the Handley Page HP80, which developed into the Victor.

Vickers also proposed an aircraft capable of meeting the higher requirement but this was initially rejected. After some further study was reinstated into the competition as it met all the requirements except that of range. This aircraft was technically inferior to that of other submissions, but this counted in its favour as the aircraft would be quicker to build and therefore into service sooner than the other types - an attractive proposition at the time.

Into production
The Air Ministry drew up Specification B9/48 around the Vickers design, now known as the Type 660 and three prototypes were ordered in November 1948 fitted with either Rolls Royce Avon turbojets or with Armstrong Siddeley Sapphires. This second version was known as the Type 667. With the signing of this contract, the Sperrin was rendered unnecessary, and the aircraft became an engine testbed.

Final assembly of the Type 660 commenced in early 1951, and the first flight of the aircraft occurred on 18 May 1951. The following month the aircraft was officially christened Valiant. By this time an initial order for the first batch of 25 aircraft had also been placed. The contract awarded by the Air Ministry was very demanding and Vickers sub-contracted the construction of many of the aircraft major components to speed up production.

Flight testing of the first prototype continued uneventfully until January 1952 when the aircraft suffered an in-flight engine fire forcing the crew to abandon the aircraft. All except one, Squadron Leader Faster, the co-pilot, escaped safely. Fortunately, the second prototype aircraft was nearing completion and flight testing recommenced in April 1952 following the initial flights of this aircraft.

The Vickers design team had mounted the wings on the shoulder of the fuselage and this allowed a huge bomb bay to be included. In line with British jet aircraft of the period, the engines were mounted in the wing roots while American designers preferred to mount the engines on wing pylons. Only two members of the five-man crew, the pilots, were provided ejection seats - the remaining members were expected to exit the aircraft by an emergency exit hatch on the starboard side of the pressurised nose compartment.

The third and final Valiant prototype to fly was the B2 low-level pathfinder which flew with the late Brian Trubshaw as co-pilot on 4 September 1953. This version of the Valiant never entered RAF service and after a landing accident in 1958, development of this version stopped.

RAF service
Such was the enormous leap provided by the Valiant over existing Bomber Command aircraft that the first Valiant unit to form was No 232 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Gaydon in Warwickshire. This unit had the task of creating the nucleus of Britain's nuclear deterrent, training crews operate the Valiant in the new role as well as train ground engineers on the maintenance procedures of the aircraft. A Valiant servicing school was established to assist with the ground training aspects later in 1954.

The first operational squadron to receive the Valiant was No 138, also based at Gaydon, it's first aircraft arriving in early 1955. September of that year saw two of the squadron's aircraft carry out a goodwill visit to a number of Commonwealth countries in the Far East without any major hitches and twelve aircraft also took part in the Farnborough airshow performing a number of flypasts during the week. The final test of the Valiant's capabilities came during a series of high intensity trials held during the Spring of 1956. Indeed this turned out to be a very eventful year for the Valiant. In July, large numbers of Valiants were at RAF Marham for and inspection by the Queen; No 49 Squadron took its Valiants to Australia and dropped Britain's first nuclear bomb during tests at the Maralinga range; four squadrons of Valiants deployed to Luqa on Malta before taking part in Operation Musketeer, the Suez campaign and aircraft were also tested in Canada during a series of cold weather trials. May 1957 saw a No 49 Squadron Valiant drop the first British Hydrogen bomb at Christmas Island during Operation Grapple.

Elsewhere, Valiants from various squadrons would frequently undertake 'Lone Ranger' flights to a variety of overseas locations as well as participating in US Air Force bombing competitions and numerous North American exercises. Closer to home, a number of Valiants were also assigned to NATO as part of the British contribution to the organisation's forces.

Early in 1959, No 214 Squadron based at RAF Marham began a series of trials with an in-flight refuelling system in an attempt to further increase the range of the Valiant. By the end of 1960 the squadron had completed a number of official and unofficial record-breaking flights using the system. The refuelling system proved the Valiant to be an adaptable and uncomplicated aircraft, much more than just the strategic bomber role it was designed for. Indeed, Valiants also operated in the strategic reconnaissance role as well as electronic countermeasures (with No 18 Squadron).

Ever improving enemy defences saw the Valiant and the other members of the V-Force, the Vulcan and Victor, switch from the high-level to low-level role in early 1964. At the same time the aircraft lost their distinctive white anti-flash colour scheme for less conspicuous camouflage of dark grey and green. These low-level missions ultimately brought a premature end to the Valiant's service in the RAF. In May 1964, two aircraft were lost in accidents. Investigations carried out revealed that the main wing spars had suffered metal fatigue due to the increased stresses of low-level flying and, although it was possible to have the problems rectified, the decision to retire the Valiant from service was taken. By the end of January 1965 the type was no longer in the RAF inventory.

Only one aircraft has managed to survive. XD818, now on display at the RAF Museum, Hendon, was the aircraft which dropped the first hydrogen bomb at Christmas Island.

Specifications:
Manufacturer: Vickers
Primary role: High altitude strategic bomber
Powerplant: Four Rolls Royce Avon R28s of 10,000lb (44.49kN) thrust each.
Crew:
    Bomber: 2 pilots, 2 navigators, 1 electronics engineer.
    Tanker: 2 pilots, 2 navigators, 1 electronics engineer, 2 additional crew.
Recognition: Deep, circular, windowless fuselage. Solid canopy with forward-facing windows appears as a small bulge on the forward fuselage. Direct below is another small bulge for the bomb-aimers position. When fitted, a prominent air-to-air refuelling probe sits on the nose of the aircraft, blanked by a plug when not carried. Swept wings mounted on the shoulder of the center fuselage, with thick roots carrying the engines (2 in each wing). Underwing fuel tanks (if carried) mounted on pylons on the mid-wing point. Slightly-swept vertical tail at the rear, with the horizontal surfaces mounted halfway up. Twin mainwheels retract outwards into the wing, with a low-set nosewheel just aft of the bomb-aimers poistion.

Dimensions:
Length: 108ft 3in (32.91m)
Wingspan: 114ft 4in (34.76m)
Height: 32ft 2in (9.78m)
empty weight: 75,880 pounds
Max loaded weight: 175,000 pounds

Performance :
Maximum Speed: 567mph (912km/h) at 30,000ft (9,146m)
Ceiling: 54,000ft (16,464m)
Range: 4,500 miles (7,243km) with underwing fuel tanks.

Armaments:
Payload:
    One 10,000lb (4,540Kg) bomb, or 20 x 1,000lb (454Kg) bombs in bomber role.
    Two bomb bay mounted fuel tanks of 1,615 Imp Galls (7,344 litres) each when used in tanker role.
Defensive Armament: None.

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All information and photos Copyright of RAF History and other websites.

[Professional Engineer]

I feel better now. I just sent this letter to Sam Johnson, our Congressman:

[Professional Engineer]
Allen, TX 75002

2APR04

The Honorable Sam Johnson
2929 North Central Expressway
Suite 240
Richardson, Texas 75080
Re: Military Funeral (Dis) Honors

Dear Mr. Johnson,

I’m writing on behalf of my wife, [Msdrby], and her family. We lay to rest her grandfather, Mr. O.J. Johnson, this past Wednesday, 31March. Mr. Johnson was a US Navy veteran, having served honorably aboard the USS Belle Isle (AG-73) during World War 2 and for some period in the Navy Reserve after his discharge from active duty.

Having served honorably, Mr. Johnson was entitled to Military Honors at his funeral service. The Honor Guard did not show up for the funeral. To the best of my knowledge, the Honor Guard had been contacted in sufficient time to plan for this funeral. Mr. Johnson did have a flag for his casket.

At the conclusion of the service, the funeral director and Mr. Johnson’s brother Oran folded the flag. My wife and I, each a fellow veteran, along with the family in attendance were very disappointed to not have the Honor Guard available for this sacred task. We sorely missed the rifle salute and the playing of Taps as well.

I do not know where the Honor Guard detail was scheduled to come from, but would like to learn what happened. The entire family has some bitter feelings about this perceived dishonor for a fallen hero.

Respectfully,

[Professional Engineer]

[Professional Engineer]

Howdy ma'am

[Professional Engineer]

Hiya Sam

[snippy_about_it]

Hey, look at me-I'm the first one here!

Now that's a first I'm sure!! Good to see you.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Iris7, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the Lewis gun. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

Hiya LC. Good to see you "fall in" at the Foxhole.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. Comfortably cool and sunny here in Oregon today.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor.

[snippy_about_it]

Hi archy, thanks for the info on the movies and the Lewis gun.

[snippy_about_it]

It was the only machine gun that could be reloaded in midair.

Thanks shooter for sharing with the Foxhole today.

[SAMWolf]

When I first saw the long bar coming from the Lewis gun while it was mounted on the top frame of the biplane, I thought it was so the pilot could aim the machine gun. That's wrong. The bar is a track so the Lewis can be rotated downward in order to be reloaded. It was the only machine gun that could be reloaded in midair.

Thanks, I always thought that the bar was part of the sight too. Now I learned two new things today.

[SAMWolf]

Afternoon Feather. Snippy and I made it in one piece. Got the truck unloaded but there's a lot of unpacking and setting up to do. It should keep us busy for a while. Also have to show Snippy around as there are no straight streets around here. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

To all:

We have finally arrived in Oregon to our destination!! We are safe and sound and we want to thank everyone for their travel mercies and well wishes for our journey.

We had a great time but we certainly are tired. I am already "moved in" to my place thanks to a lot of hard work by Sam. He wouldn't let me take a break. LOL.

Hopefully we can now get back on schedule except we will now both be on Pacific Time.

It's going to be fun having my Foxhole partner and friend nearby and of course the weather and scenery out here is a world away from Ohio and I love it!

There are lots of little things to take care of and Sam will show me around a bit and I'll try to be a fast learner so I don't get lost. ;-)

I won't have internet access until Sunday afternoon at my place so in the meantime I'll use Sam's.

To my partner:

Thanks buddy, I couldn't have done it without you.